Minor Details
by Phoenix-cry
Summary: This is a three part short story with Salen and Joanna in the very start of them getting to know one another, this comes after First Kiss and Night Shift...
1. Chapter 1

Minor Details

"So how was your physical?"

"Fine."

"Are you sure?" Doug pressed.

"Yes...why do you ask?"

"Cause it's three in the afternoon and your in bed staring somewhat vacantly at the ceiling."

"I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing."

"Wow...I wish I could do that. I bet I'd sleep better."

"You appear to sleep just fine, if your snoring is any indicator."

"Very funny." Salen's roommate rolled his eyes. "I'm going to be out of town for the rest of the week, family matters, I'll see you later."

"Okay."

Salen watched Doug leave before returning his gaze to the ceiling. His thoughts drifted back to the incident in the clinic. He was certain that Joanna had no idea how intimate a contact she had intimated when she'd brushed his hand. It was an innocent mistake. What Salen was having trouble understanding was why he couldn't put it out of his mind. There had been other girls at the Academy that had very purposefully taken his hand knowing full well that they could 'pretend' that they didn't know the Vulcan ritual. The way they giggled betrayed their true intentions.

There were even certain predatory females around that had turned it into a game in hopes of gaining his affections, but it only made him pull further away from the risk of contact. It was the reason that he now tended to stand with his hands held protectively behind his back. As he entered his third year at the Academy without showing any interest in the women courting him Salen knew that the rumor now was that he was gay. It didn't bother him, he was here to become a Starfleet Officer, not to find a mate.

"As an endangered species I suppose it is only logical that I be paired with a Vulcan female." Salen sighed without much enthusiasm. "I am sure the Vulcan Council will choose a mate for me...again."

Salen hadn't given much thought to Ta'lin, the Vulcan girl he had been betrothed to when he was seven years old. He had not been told the particulars of his commitment to Ta'lin at the time and he had been captured by Wilson before he could learn more. However, it didn't matter, he had known in his heart the moment it happened that Ta'lin had not survived the destruction of Vulcan. Once in the Academy he had searched the Vulcan census just to be sure and she was listed among the dead.

Although part of him felt the loss of Ta'lin he had never managed to truly grieve. He barely remembered any of his life before Wilson and he had only met her once in the joining ceremony. His traveling parents had returned to Vulcan long enough to hold the ritual and then had left the next day. At times he feared that his lack of interest in the women at the Academy was due to the fact that he was destined to only be paired to Ta'lin. He didn't know how Vulcan pairing truly worked. He had once tried to ask Spock, but the half-Vulcan had instantly responded that he would explain when Salen was older.

"I know Vulcans mate for life...but what happens if one of them dies before that life together begins?" Salen asked the empty room. "'Parted from me and never parted, never and always touching and touched'."

Salen chanted the words that always came to mind when he thought of Ta'lin, but he didn't know what they meant or even how he knew them. Thoughts of Ta'lin had not bothered him a while, however Joanna's touch had sparked something in his mind that brought his thoughts back to the ritual. Joanna's touch had sent an intensely pleasurable shiver up his spine, something that had never happened with the others who had tried to initiate the Vulcan contact with him.

"It was just an accident, Salen, she had no idea. She's a doctor, they touch people all the time."

Feeling restless Salen jumped out of bed and paced around his room for a moment. Not feeling any better he decided he needed to do something to restore peace to his mind. Changing into a black exercise uniform he headed to the gym. When he got there he noticed that a sparing class for hand to hand combat was taking place. Salen approached the coach who was leading the exercise.

"Hello, Cadet Pike." Coach Rainer greet with a broad smile.

"Hello, Sir. I was wondering if I could join the class?"

"Absolutely, you can show these candy-asses how to really fight!" Rainer beamed. "Holloway!"

"Yes, Sir?" A large Cadet responded.

"Meet you new sparing partner for the day." Rainer said. "Holloway this is Salen, Salen this is Holloway, he's currently my top fighter."

Holloway walked up to Salen and held his hand out for Salen to shake. Salen had never hesitated to participate in the human greeting before, but right now he couldn't imagine grasping hands with the muscular sweaty human. Instead he offered Holloway a shallow bow of respect. Holloway laughed and returned the bow with one his own.

"How are you at staff sparing?" Holloway asked.

"It is one of my favorite combats."

"Excellent."

"Oh this is gonna be fun!" Rainer laughed. "Class gather around, a show like this deserves an audience."

Salen wasn't so sure about needing an audience, but he accepted it. Holloway went over to the equipment rack and grabbed two solid staffs. He tossed one to Salen and then twirled the one that he kept around in his hands with expert skill. Salen smiled and moved to the center of the ring. The pair circled one another a few times as they sized up each others perceived strengths and weaknesses.

"You ready?" Holloway asked.

"Anytime that you are."

Holloway smiled brightly and with a powerful roar he attacked. Salen easily deflected the first blow, but he also knew that Holloway was just warming up. They followed the gentleman's rules as they attacked and defended. Salen had to admit that Holloway was very skilled and impressively strong. Although he had Vulcan physiology on his side it wasn't long before Salen managed to break a fine sweat.

The rest of the class cheered in good natured competition as the match continued. So far Salen was wining, having harmlessly tagged Holloway several times. Still enjoying himself Holloway did his best to score a point. Salen was one point away from wining the match when a female Cadet with dark curly hair entered the far side of the gym.

The female wasn't Joanna, but she looked closed enough to distract him. For a fraction of a second Salen's attention was diverted away from the sparing match. Holloway was already in mid swing with the heavy wooden staff when Salen took his eyes off the game at hand. There was an explosion of breathtaking pain as Holloway struck him in the side of the ribs. Knocked to the floor Salen gasped sharply, blood rose to the back of his throat, but he quickly swallowed it.

"Ohmygod!" Holloway exclaimed as he dropped his staff. "I'm so sorry, Salen! I thought for sure you were going to block that one. Are you alright?"

"I am fine." Salen forced a smile. "The strike was my fault."

"Okay, everyone, clear out, class dismissed." Rainer hustled everyone away. "You okay, Kid?"

"I am fine." Salen repeated.

With a sharp pain still jabbing into his side Salen tried and failed to get to his feet. Looking guilty Holloway reached down and held Salen stand. Once up Salen put his hand protectively over his ribs and tried to take a deep breath. When he winced in pain Rainer got a nervous look on his face.

"Alright, Holloway, hit the showers. Salen, I'll take you to medical."

"No, Sir." Salen shook his head. "I don't need a doctor, it is just a bruise. I will be fine."

"I don't know..."

"Do not worry about me. Thank you for letting me participate."

"You're a tough one, Salen." Rainer chuckled. "The Admiral must be so proud."

"I certainly hope so."

"Are you sure you are okay?"

Trying to convince the nervous coach that he was okay Salen took his hand away from his ribs and nodded. Keeping his shoulders back Salen said good bye and turned to leave. He walked at a normal pace back to his room. Once in the privacy of his dorm Salen tried to climb up onto the top bunk to his bed. Unable to raise himself up without excruciating pain Salen settled for laying down on Doug's bed.

Laying on his side Sale took fast shallow breaths to minimize the lancing pain. He weld his eyes shut against the sting of tears. It wasn't the pain that was effecting him so strongly it was the memories that it brought to the surface. He knew this particular pain well, the sharp jolt with every breath told him that he had suffered yet another broken rib. When Wilson used to lose his temper one of his most common responses was to kick Salen in the ribs, about twenty-five percent of the time he stuck him hard enough to break bone.

Salen calculated that this was the seventh time one of his rib had been cracked. Trying to remind himself that this had been an accident Salen fought to keep thoughts of his time in captivity out of his mind. He licked his lips and noticed a copper taste. Reaching up he drew his hand across his lips and then stared at the green blood that now stained his hand.

"That is new."

Salen couldn't remember if he tended to bleed from his broken ribs since they were usually accompanied by a few strikes to the face. He had always assumed that any blood had been from split lips. He checked his lips and inside his cheek with his tongue but he couldn't find any cuts. Assuming that the blood was normal Salen swallowed the blood and closed his eyes.

Hours later Salen woke up feeling like someone was sitting on his chest. Struggling for breath he panicked for a moment. Some belly breathing helped raise his oxygen levels and his anxiety decreased. Salen sat up with a growl of pain and got to his feet. Seeking comfort he headed down to the community bathroom and stepped into the shower. Letting the hot water slip down his back seemed to make breathing easier.

Back in his room Salen found that he was still exhausted. Crawling back into Doug's bed he quickly fell asleep once more. Salen didn't wake until the midmorning sun pierced through the window. The moment he opened his eyes he was sent into an agonizing coughing fit. Green blood spattered across the white pillow. Get to his feet Salen stumbled over to the waste bin and spit excess blood into the trash.

"Ugh, what a mess." Salen sighed.

Ignoring the protest in his ribs Salen took the sheets off Doug's bed and replaced them with clean ones. He knew that his side was going to be painful for a while, but he also knew that there was no sense in getting help because there was nothing that could be done about cracked ribs. Struggling to get into his uniform Salen sat down and rested for a moment before getting up and going to class.

Salen spent the day trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. He swallowed the blood as it rose to his lips so that no one would notice. He had a difficult time paying attention to the lectures since he had to concentrate on taking shallow breaths. Salen recalled the days he spent on the dirty floor of Wilson's basement nearly unable to breath. Shaking his head to clear it Salen pushed through the rest of his day. Back at the dorm he collapsed on the bed once more.

When his pain and shortness of breath were even worse the next morning Salen started to wonder if he should go to the clinic. His ribs had always healed on their own before, but he didn't recall them ever causing him this much distress. Just walking across the room left him desperately gasping for breath. Spitting blood again he tapped on the communicator to dial the clinic.

"Cadet Health Services, how can I help you."

"I need to make an appointment."

"I can help you with that, do you have a preference for doctors?"

"Yes." Salen panted. "Um...her name is Joanna."

"Do you know her last name?"

"No. She completed my physical yesterday."

"Okay, I found her...she's booked to the end of the week. If this is urgent you could see Dr. Lanc..."

"No." Salen said quickly. "No, that is okay. Never mind...it is not urgent..." 


	2. Chapter 2

Part II of III

"Come on you two, time to lock up."

"Yes, Dr. Lancer, just touching up some paperwork." Joanna responded as she helped Rachel enter a few details into one of her charts.

"Do it in the morning."

Joanna put the finishing keystrokes on the chart and shut the computer down. It was nearly ten. The clinic usually closed at nine, but being the last day for physicals they had run overtime. Joanna was just gathering up her stuff when she remembered that the blood samples for the day still weren't in the analyzer.

"Dr. Lancer, I'm sorry, but I have to get the blood work into the machine...it will only take a few minutes."

"The code to lock up is 9274831." Dr. Lancer huffed. "I will see you in the morning."

Joanna and Rachel looked at one another in surprise, it was against policy to leave Cadets in the clinic alone. However before they question Dr. Lancer he was gone. Rachel just shrugged and went to help Joanna set the blood samples in the analyzer. Ten minutes later there were done and heading towards the door.

"So..." Rachel smiled mischievously "have you seen your Vulcan friend again?"

"No, his blood work came back clean."

"You don't need faulty blood work to make an excuse to see him."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the way you two were eyeballing one another." Rachel chuckled.

"We were not 'eyeballing' one another. He was stressed out and I was trying to calm him, strictly professional."

"Fine, sure, whatever." Rachel shrugged, completely unconvinced.

"You're impossible."

Rachel giggled and nodded. The pair stepped outside and Joanna turned to lock up the clinic. Before she got a chance she got a jab in the ribs from Rachel. Irritated she glared at her, but she was quickly distracted from Rachel when she saw that Salen was standing about fifteen feet away. He was panting for breath as though he had just completed a long run. A touch nervous Joanna took a step closer to Rachel.

"Sa...Salen?" Joanna stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

"I am sorry I did not mean to frighten you." Salen said meekly in a quiet voice. "I came to see if the clinic was still open."

"Actually we were just locking up."

"I see that. Can I ask you a question?" Salen asked. "Me...medical of course."

"Of course."

"You know," Rachel smiled "I really have to go. Very tired, gotta run, you two Kids have fun."

"Rach..."

"Joanna, no arguments, help our handsome Vulcan friend here with his 'medical question'."

Joanna flushed in embarrassment as Rachel winked at Salen and hurried off. Salen came a few steps closer, but stopped when Joanna became visibly less comfortable. She made a mental note to kill Rachel for leaving her alone the next time she saw her. Although Salen did not really look like he was a threat. In fact now that he was out of the shadows and in the light of campus' artificial lights Joanna furrowed her brow as she looked Salen over.

"Salen, are you okay? You look terrible."

"I think I may have broken a rib," Salen admitted, pausing to breath before continuing. "Ribs can heal without medical assistance, right?"

"Well they can, but a quick shot of Bone Knit can really speed up the process."

"I do not require anything, I just wanted to make sure that it would heal on its own. Thank you."

"Wait." Joanna called as Salen turned to leave. "Broken ribs aren't usually serious, but I'd better have a look. Come on in, I haven't locked the clinic yet."

"No, I will be fine. Thank you."

"Your voice is barely a whisper, are you having trouble breathing?"

"Some."

"Please, let me just take a quick scan to make sure everything is in place."

Salen glanced around before nodding in agreement. When he came closer Joanna noticed a fine bead of sweat against his skin. Standing closer to her she could now hear the wet raspy quality to his shallow breathing. Increasingly concerned Joanna put her palm against his lower back and guided him into the clinic.

"Here, lay down on the biobed."

"It becomes increasingly difficult to breath if I lay on my back."

"Not surprising, that makes the muscles and ribs pull against gravity. You can lay on your unaffected side if it is more comfortable."

"It is."

Joanna gently helped Salen lay down. He ground his teeth together and for a moment Joanna thought she had seen blood on his teeth, but he quickly ran his tongue over his teeth to erase any evidence. Furrowing her brow Joanna opened one of the drawers and pulled out an X-ray tablet. The clear blue tablet was about a foot square and an inch thick. When she approached Salen he looked at the tablet nervously.

"Don't worry, this is just going to let me have a look into your chest and see what's going on in there."

"Something tells me that I would rather not know."

"How did you get injured?" Joanna asked as the tablet warmed up.

"It was an accident during a sparing match. A Cadet struck me with a wooden staff when I failed to block."

"Ouch." Joanna sympathized as the tablet alerted her that it was ready. "Okay, here we go. Take as deep a breath as you can and hold it."

Salen tried his best to take deep breath, but his chest barely rose. Joanna held the tablet over Salen's ribs and a quickly constructed a glowing visual of the bones and organs underneath. Gasping in shock Joanna nearly dropped the tablet. Salen had two broken ribs, one of which had pierced his lung. With air and fluid accumulating in his chest wall it was little wonder why he couldn't breath.

"Salen, you have severe pneumothorax, and pneumonia...how long ago were you hurt?"

"About three days ago."

"Three days?" Joanna exclaimed. "You should be dead!"

"Is this going to kill me?"

"No, no...I mean it could, but it looks like we got to you in the nick of time." Joanna put down the tablet and picked up a communicator. "I need to call Dr. Lancer..."

"Lancer?" Salen repeated anxiously. "No, please, can you just help me yourself?"

"I could be kicked out of the Academy for treating you without a license."

"I cannot allow that."

"Honestly I didn't think your injury was this serious or I would have taken you right to Emergency. As it is it looks like you'll need surgery, I need Dr. Lancer to make a final assesment and decide what is best."

"No, I will simply go. I am sorry to trouble you."

"Go?"

Joanna stared at Salen in disbelief as he began to struggle to sit up. She tried to convince him to remain laying down, but he was determined to leave. Salen was suddenly sent into a coughing spasm that was painful to just listen to. When emerald blood spattered the back of his hand that he was coughing against Joanna made a split second decision to keep him from leaving. The biobed had a built in ion restraint system in case a patient began thrashing or became dangerous.

Although she hated to physically restrain him she felt she had no choice and she activated the system. Just as Joanna had feared Salen reacted violently to the sudden appearance of ion restraints encircling his wrists and ankles. Trapped laying on his side Salen yanked uselessly at the ion cuffs he fought to sit up. Making his injury worse he began drooling blood as he gasped for each breath. Joanna put her palm against his cheek causing him to stare up at her. His lips were becoming a rusty color as his oxygen levels dropped as a result of his struggle.

"Salen, stop, you need to relax."

"Let me go!"

"I can't do that, you'll get a hundred feet from the building and collapse. I hate to hold you here, but you need a doctor."

"No..."

"Part of your paranoia and fear is from the hypoxia. I'm trying to save your life, please trust me."

Salen stared up at Joanna for a moment before wordless putting his head back down on the biobed and visibly relaxing. For a moment Joanna was afraid that he was slipping into death, he went from struggling to completely still in the space between two heartbeats. Looking almost catatonic he stared blankly at nothing. Joanna hesitantly ran her fingers through his hair to comfort him before fixing an oxygen mask over his mouth.

"It's going to be alright, Salen, I promise."

Not looking very convinced Salen continued to lay motionless except for the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Joanna finally had the time to call Dr. Lancer's emergency number. He was not happy to be woken, however, he agreed to come to the clinic. Dr. Lancer lived on campus and was at the clinic within ten minutes. Joanna had spent the time trying to reassure Salen, although she needed some reassurance herself. With the extent of his injuries she was afraid that the struggling he had done against the restraints might cause a full collapse of his lungs at any moment.

"What is going on here?" Lancer growled as he stepped up to the biobed.

"He came to the clinic just as we were closing..."

"You should have taken him over to emergency."

"It didn't look like an emergency at the time."

"It certainly is one now." Lancer noted as he held the X-ray tablet up to Salen's chest. Joanna's fears were confirmed, the broken rib was now deeper in his lung. "Tension pneumothorax, multiple fractures, pneumonia, pulmonary edema...he walked in here?"

Salen and Joanna both nodded. Lancer shook his head sadly and went over to the counter to get the instruments he needed. Returning with a hypospray he pressed it against Salen's throat. Lancer watched Salen for a moment, clearly expecting something to happen. Salen looked up at Joanna and tried to speak, but the combination of the increasing congestion in his lungs and the oxygen mask kept him from being understood.

"Hmmmm..." Lancer mused "I've heard that Vulcans are notoriously difficult to sedate."

"You've never worked on a Vulcan before?" Joanna asked nervously.

"No, but once I get him under sedation the procedure is exactly the same."

Alarmed by the news Salen began struggling against the restraints once more. With her eyes brightening with tears in empathy Joanna smoothed out his white hair. A bright green froth seeped from his parted lips as he coughed. Lancer had gone back to the cabinet and returned with a small clear mask that had a tiny silver canister attached to it. He pulled the oxygen mask off of Salen and pressed the new one to his face.

"Take a few deep breaths of this, Cadet Pike, it will take the edge off the pain and then I am going to fix the rib." Lancer announced. "You'll be just fine, understand?"

Salen nodded and took as deep a breath from the mask as he could manage. No sooner had he taken the breath that he cried out and thrashed to escape. Joanna took a step back in surprise as Salen bucked despite his injuired.

"Hold his head down!" Lancer snapped at Joanna. "Pike, just a few more breaths."

"What is that, Doctor?" Joanna asked.

"It is just a little nitrous oxide for anesthesia."

"Nitrous oxide?" Joanna gasped.

Joanna ripped the mask off Salen's face and replaced the oxygen mask. Relieved to be free of the nitrous oxide Salen sucked at the oxygen. Lancer gave Joanna an indignant look, but she didn't care.

"What are you doing?" Lancer demanded.

"Nitrous oxide is toxic to Vulcans, it causes pain. A few breaths and they pass out and respiratory failure quickly follows. Do we have any Xenon, that works best for Vulcans."

"No, we are not set up to do surgery, I hate to risk it, but we need to get him over to emergency."

Barely able to breath Salen began weakly tugging at his restraints once again. Coughing up more sickly colored blood it was clear that they were running out of time. Joanna wished that she had rushed Salen to Emergency the instant she had seen his ribs rather than call Lancer. Lancer grabbed a laser scalpel and sighed.

"Okay, Salen, I'm sorry, but I have to fix this now." Lancer said softly. "Joanna, do what you can to keep him calm."

Joanna's blood flashed to ice as she realized that Lancer was planing to cut Salen open while he was still awake. However with his vitals dropping and his breathing becoming more erratic she knew he had no other choice. It was too late to get him to Emergency, he was going to go into respiratory failure at any moment. Joanna knelt down so that she was eye level with Salen and she gently put her hand on his cheek.

"I am so sorry." Joanna whispered. "It will be over quickly."

"Okay, Salen, just try to hold still..." 


	3. Chapter 3

Part III

Salen woke slowly without opening his eyes. The last thing he remembered was the fear in Joanna's eyes as the doctor began to cut into him. He had been braced for an intense pain, however the laser scalpel was far more gentle than Wilson's dull metal blades. He remembered trying to give Joanna a smile to reassure her, but he wasn't sure if he managed to pull it off. It had been just about that same time when Lancer had done something with his rib that caused him to pass out.

Slowly resurfacing the first thing Salen noticed was that he could breath easily with very little pain. Enjoying the ability he took a few deep breaths. As he became more aware of his surroundings he heard a gentle sound that was completely out of place. It was a pleasant low singing, he could hear the melody but the singer was muttering the words so that they couldn't be understood.

Opening his eyes Salen looked over at where Joanna was lounging on a small couch. Confused he looked around and found himself in a hospital room. He was in a bed that had the head tilted up so that he was partially sitting up to help his lungs. Joanna was using a stylus to work on a digital chart. As she did so she sung the cheerful melody to herself. Salen watched her while she continued to work. The morning sun was coming in through the window throwing gold highlights into her dark hair.

Salen didn't even realize that he was staring at her until she glanced up and their eyes met. Gasping sharply she put the tablet down and hurried over to the bed side. Like a true doctor her eyes first went to the biobed readout to make sure that he was stable. When she saw that he was doing well she turned her attention to him with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Joanna teased.

"That was a lovely song."

"Oh," Joanna flushed "my father used to sing it to me."

"It is very pretty." Salen looked around in mild confusion. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven."

"Did...did you stay with me all night?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Still feeling a little disoriented Salen looked up at the IV bag that was hanging near by. The tubing lead to a cuff around his wrist that was slowly diffusing the contents of the bag into his blood. He filled his lungs once more before exhaling heavily and returning his attention to Joanna. She was waiting patiently for him to adjust to his surroundings.

"What happened?" Salen asked.

"You were incredibly brave. You didn't even make a sound. When Lancer pulled on your rib to set it you passed out, which was probably for the best. The surgery went well, the bone should be good as new in a few weeks."

"I have to stay here for a few weeks?" Salen asked in alarm.

"No." Joanna shook her head. "You can home tomorrow. You still have a mild case of pneumonia, but you are recovering very well."

"Thanks to you."

"Dr. Lancer is the one you should be thanking, if he hadn't pulled that rib out..."

"As I recall Dr. Lancer tried to kill me with nitrous oxide."

"Yeah, that was a little frightening." Joanna smiled sadly. "I noticed in your chart that you basically never come to medical, now I see why."

"There are not many doctors who know what to do with a Vulcan on their table. It is minor details like the nitrous oxide that can easily get me in trouble. I am lucky that I have you. I...uh...mean, it was fortunate for me that you were there. How did you know about the nitrous oxide?"

"A story that my father told me about years ago about the fact that Vulcans don't find 'laughing gas' very funny." Joanna chuckled.

"No we do not." Salen smiled.

Still tired from the ordeal Salen closed his eyes. Breathing deeply Salen picked up on an intoxicating scent. He recalled noticing it the first time he met Joanna and decided it must be the perfume that she used. Although his lungs felt better he still started coughing. Joanna gave him a tissue and he gratefully accepted it.

"I still seem to be bleeding." Salen noted as he looked at the green stained tissue.

"It is more likely that you're just working the blood out. Let me take a listen just to be sure."

Salen froze as Joanna leaned in and pressed her ear against his chest. Paralyzed by having her so close he ended up holding his breath. It took Joanna a moment to realize that he wasn't going to take a breath. She stood back up with a bright smile.

"Salen, if I'm going to listen to your breathing you have to breath."

"Sorry...I...uh..."

"Just relax and take a deep breath."

Salen nodded and tried to relax. When he seemed to have centered himself Joanna leaned in again and rested her ear against his chest. Salen closed his eyes and took a deep breath, bringing Joanna's flowery scent closer. Joanna kept against his chest for a few deep inhalations before pulling away.

"Your lungs sound amazingly clear." Joanna said in approval. "I think you're going to live."

"Well that is good news." Salen smiled.

Joanna glances up at the clock and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Salen, I have to get to the clinic."

"Will I see you again?" Salen asked.

"I'll come visit you as soon as my shift is done."

"I would like that."

"Here." Joanna turned to the nightstand next to Salen's hospital bed and grabbed a notepad and scribbled on. "I want you to call me if you need anything...or even if you just want to chat."

"Thank you."

"Feel better, Salen."

Joanna leaned in once more and gently kissed his cheek. Before Salen could react Joanna rushed out the door. A little confused, but pleasantly surprised by the kiss, Salen settled back into to bed with a slight smile twitching the corners of his mouth. He rubbed his chest where Joanna had laid her ear. He decided that her hair had smelled vaguely of apples.

Just as Salen was thinking about drifting off to sleep he heard a knock at the door. Looking up Salen didn't see anyone at first. He sat up a little more in the bed and caught sight of Admiral Pike in the door way. Salen's face lit up at the sight of his adoptive father. Pike smiled as well and wheeled up to Salen's bed side.

"Father." Salen greeted warmly. "What are you doing here?"

"The Academy called and told me you ended up in emergency surgery last night, so of course I dropped everything, and came rushing down to see you."

"You did not have to do that, but I am pleased to see you."

"How are you feeling?"

"I am doing well."

Salen reached his hands out and Pike reached out to take them. He squeezed Pike's hands affectionately before letting him go. Pike looked his son over with a quizzical expression on his face. Salen mirrored his expression, unsure of what his father was thinking.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"There is something different about you." Pike replied. "Something about your smile."

Salen looked down and blushed a bright green.

"Did you meet a girl?" Pike chuckled knowingly.

"What makes you ask that?" Salen said trying to fein innocents.

"The phone number in your lap in the flowery handwriting was my second clue."

"What was your first?"

"The fact that for someone who almost died last night, you look happier than I think I've ever seen you."


End file.
